126th New York Infantry - POW at Harpers Ferry & WIA at Bristoe Station

Item LTR-501

Description

3 page original Civil War soldier's letter written in period ink and war dated.

April 30th 1863

Camp at Centreville, VA

Dear Mother,

I received your most welcome letter yesterday and was glad to hear that all the folks were well. I am enjoying very good health at present. We are having some very nice weather nowadays. The farmers have commenced to plough and sow.

I received a letter from Julia and Uncle Dick yesterday. Julia said that she had got well again. I forgot to tell you before that Walter Cook had got back. He returned the fourth day of April but left again the 28th through. I guess he is caught. We heard yesterday that the Maine boys that are doing picket duty on the right of us took a prisoner night before last. And I think it was Walter. He has been lame every since he came back. He had a sore on his leg. He said that he got drunk and a horse run away with him. But I have heard since that he has been binding pennies on it to make it sore. I am afraid if he is caught again it will go hard with him. He told me sometime ago that he was going to try and get to Pennsylvania and go as a substitute for somebody and then get to Washington and get his discharge. I cannot tell you what has become of Jeff Moore. He and McKechnie and Fred Root went to Washington to the general hospital about the first of the month. And I have not heard from him since. Mr. Hillman got a letter from home the other day and his folks said they was sorry to hear that Jeff was dead. That is all I have heard about it. Though I don’t think it is so. If it was so, the captain would know something about it. I don’t know as you can send me any tobacco. I can but it as cheap here as you can get it there and send it to me. We got our pay last Sunday. Enclosed you will find the allotment check for forty dollars. You can draw the money on it and put it in the bank. You never told me how much of the other you put in the bank. We got four months pay this time. I owed the sutler six dollars and had five dollars and fifty-six cents left. We were mustered for pay again today. But I don’t know when we will get paid again. This is all I can write this time for it is bedtime. We all have to be in bed and our lights out at 9 o’clock. If they find a light burning in the tent after that, away you go to the guardhouse.

Write soon and let me know if you get this and a picture. I guess I will send that in a separate envelope. It is the best I could get for a dollar. From your affectionate son. Send some stamps.

E. A. Warner

To E. Van Warner

Write soon.

P.S. I got the bill of my box the same day I got the letter a week before I got the box.